caught in a landslide
by escapiism
Summary: It only took a moment for both their worlds to come crashing down. [based on katarinamor's video "Landslides"]
1. heart without a beat

**So this is a fanfiction based on a YouTube video (which I will put in my profile) and the story was just so perfect it literally blew my head. So check out this video (which is called 'Landslides' by the way) and as I said, it's in my profile and you MUST watch it :) Also, just a thing to say, if it suddenly skips to _italics_ , it is a flashback.**

 **Anyway, please enjoy! I'm estimating about five chapters so here is... the first one!**

* * *

Chapter One

Heart Without A Beat

* * *

Hermione ran her fingers across the carved letters of the marble tombstone. She closed her eyes, hoping all this to be just a long nightmare, and she'd wake up in a cold sweat back at the Burrow. They'd all be safe, and he'd be there too, healthy and very much _alive_.

 _Frederick Gideon Weasley_ _  
_ _Beloved son, brother and twin._

" _Hope is the thing with feathers that_ _  
_ _perches in the soul and sings the tune_ _  
_ _without the words and never stops at all."_

Hermione wondered if Fred even remembered that poem, or Emily Dickinson herself. Hermione remembered reading it to him once, laying next to each other, fingers intertwined.

"Why did you have to leave me?" Hermione mumbled, now kneeling on the mud. Her hands were still on the tombstone as the first tear fell from her eyelids. "It shouldn't have been you. You didn't deserve to die. You didn't have to go. You shouldn't have." Hermione wiped her tears with her sleeve. "You should be by my side, right now, actually. You should me next to me, holding my hand. You should be telling me that everything's okay, even if you know it's not. You had to be safe. You _promised_ me you'd be safe."

 _They saw each other in the midst of everyone else and ran to each other, immediately finding each other's lips._

 _"We'll see each other again." Fred said, tucking a piece of Hermione's hair behind her ear. "We will, I promise."_

 _"Pinkie promise." Hermione breathed. "Promise we'll both be safe and that we'll both see each other. We'll both be safe, and_ alive _."_

 _"I promise, Hermione." Fred kissed her again, bringing her even closer. "I love you."_

 _Hermione closed her eyes as Fred traced his thumb across her cheek. "I love you too."_

More tears escaped her eyes, salting her pale cheeks.

"I love you." Hermione sobbed. "I love you so much. I want you to come back. Please, just come back. I need you back."

When it stayed silent, Hermione kicked at the ground angrily, balling her fists. She shouted loudly before collapsing, covering her ears with her hands. The world was spinning around, and once it stopped, nothing would be the same. Ever.

She thought about Ron and Harry, and how they would be feeling if they were next to her, right now. They were at the Burrow, tucked away, wanting to forget about everything. They couldn't bear to see Fred in his grave.

He was too young. He was _twenty_. He had a whole life ahead of him, the joke shop, a big family to stay with, but with a blink of an eye he was gone. Hermione shivered as she remembered seeing his lifeless body on the ground, his eyes glazed over and the last laugh etched on his dying face.

 _"H-Hermione…" Harry stammered as he saw Fred on the ground. He tried to grab hold of her hand so he could calm her down. It was only seconds before she'd told him about her and Fred._

 _"No…" Hermione muttered under his breath. "No._ No _. Please..."_

 _This was all an illusion because Fred Weasley couldn't possibly be dead. He was very much alive, he was just playing one of his stupid pranks to brighten up the whole battle._

 _But she saw everyone crowded around him, sobbing on each other's shoulder._

 _"No, 'Mione." Harry ran to her but she was too quick._

 _"Fred, no." Hermione shook his head. "Please. No. No."_

 _Ginny looked at her with tears in her eyes. "Hermione…I'm sorry. H-he's...he's...he's..." Ginny cried as she saw Hermione's face fall. Ginny was the only one who Hermione trusted with her secret relationship with Fred._

 _"He c-can't be." Hermione choked on her sobs. "He promised me. He promised we'd see each other again. He promised, Ginny. He_ promised _."_

 _Ginny closed her eyes. "Hermione…"_

 _"Ginny, he's_ alive _." Hermione insisted, although her heart was beating out of her chest. "It's just a joke. He'll wake up any minute now!" Hermione looked at Fred. "He_ has _too." Hermione added, while crossing her fingers._

"But you never woke up." she sobbed. "You never woke up and scared me to death. I'm still scared. Frightened. Frightened to my living guts."

Hermione's lip trembled as Crookshanks purred from beside her. She picked him up and stroked his fur. At least Crookshanks wouldn't leave like that.

"You remember, don't you, Crookie? That time you bit him." Hermione's voice broke again. "You and Fred were going to be friends. He promised me he wouldn't annoy you anymore."

 _"Hey, little Crook-_ ie _-shanks." Fred chuckled when he saw Crookshanks sleeping soundly on Hermione's lap. 'Well, why isn't she moving?'_

 _"Maybe because she's sleeping?" Hermione stifled a laugh, not seeing Fred poke Crookshank's stomach._

 _"_ Ow _!" Fred screeched. "That_ bloody _cat."_

 _"It's your own fault, Fred, you provoked her." Hermione rolled her eyes, and she carried on stroking him until Crookshanks let out a final purr, going back to sleep._

 _"Okay, so you're just going to let poor little Freddie bleed to death? And Merlin's potty does this hurt!" Fred asked, wincing at the pain from his index finger. "Hermione?"_

 _"You're not bleeding to death." Hermione said, before bringing his finger close to her, causing him to shout out in pain. "But that does look pretty painful. Gotta go tell Mummy that ickle Crookie bit you." Hermione laughed when she saw Fred scowl at her._

"You _destroyed_ me." Hermione said, grabbing onto a plant for stability. "You made me... crazy. You... oh god… maybe I should have listened to you. Maybe then it would have ended differently... but..." Hermione coughed loudly. "You're no longer here and I need you."

 _"Hermione, this is wrong. This is really wrong." Fred pulled back from the embrace they were in. She took her lips off his._

 _"You're right." Hermione tilted her head on her right shoulder. "But being right isn't always a good thing."_

 _"But you're Ron's best friend." Fred frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. "And we all know that Ron likes you, and I'm not getting into your relationship or my relationship with him."_

 _"Me and Ron aren't…" Hermione started._

 _"But just wait only a few years and I'm pretty sure I'll be at you and Ronnie's wedding." Fred sighed, untangling his hands from her bushy hair. "Hermione, please stop... you're making this harder for both of us."_

 _"I want you to stay, Fred." Hermione said quietly. 'We can figure whatever... this is... later but now... I just want you to stay."_

 _Fred looked unsure but as soon as Hermione placed her soft lips on his, he melted fully, his heart demanding to be taken._

It was so cold that Hermione could see her jagged breath melt away with the mist in Godric's Hollow. Her footsteps were fairly visible in the damp grass as she walked her way out.

 _"If this is what you really want…" Fred's voice trailed off as Hermione kissed him again, bringing him even closer to her._

 _"Have I answered that?" Hermione asked, still in his embrace. Fred merely nodded before their lips met again roughly but more passionately._

She missed him. She missed his stupid remarks, she missed the gentle touch of his fingers, the sweet taste of his lips… She missed it all.

She took one glance at the remains of Fred, before Apparating to the Burrow.

"Hermione!" Molly came in and gave Hermione a warm hug, before pulling her arm to the dining room. When she entered the room, she saw many worn-out faces, all with the same emotionless face. Hermione sighed. A month since the war and everyone had been the same. The war had damaged them all, both physically _and_ mentally.

"Hey, 'Mione." Harry suppressed a smile, as did Ron.

"Hi." Hermione said quietly, before taking a seat next to Ginny, who gently squeezed her hand. They all sat in silent, until Luna finally found the courage to speak up.

"So, Hermione, you're going back to Hogwarts, aren't you?" Luna asked.

Hermione smiled weakly, glad that Luna had changed the subject. "Yes. Yes, I am."

Then it turned silent again, for at least an hour or so. That was when people started to get up and pour out the room.

"Thank you, Molly. For dinner." Kingsley Shacklebolt said just before leaving. He then leaned in and whispered in her hear, "I know it is hard for you, but we need to face the facts. H-he's gone."

Just like that, Fred was gone. It was true that they had to face the facts, as was it true that it would be hard on every single one of them.

* * *

Soon September 1st came, as crisp and new as Autumn could be. She saw Harry, Ron and all the other Weasleys wave at her before she boarded the Hogwarts train once again. She felt tears spring to her eyes as she took a seat next to Ginny and Luna. She never knew how hard it would be, coming back.

She pictured herself in the very same seat eight years ago. She'd been young and innocent Hermione Jean Granger, without a single worry in her head except for getting bad test results and giving in late homework. Never in the world would she have ever thought to be one of the bravest and youngest heroines of the Wizarding World, helping destroy the horcruxes and even Voldemort himself.

"Would you like a Quibbler? It's a little outdated but equally interesting." Luna said, her dreamy voice filling the silence. "Daddy's facts never get old."

"Wh-what?" Hermione said. "Oh, no thanks Luna."

Luna nodded and happily opened her edition and read. Ginny looked at Hermione then Luna, then at the window of the compartment, where several students stood, staring at Hermione. Hermione noticed too and a confused look flickered on her face.

"Why are they all staring?" Hermions stuttered.

"Because you are none other than Hermione Jean Granger, the brightest witch of your age, who aided the great Harry Potter in destroying the horcruxes." Luna said matter-of-factly.

"Wait, _what_?" Hermione exclaimed. "I didn't do anything, and everything is just piled on top of me? I'm not going to act like some heroine when I could have stopped many things that happened in the wretched war!"

"Fred's death wasn't your fault, Hermione, okay? It wasn't anyone's." Ginny said. Hermione didn't answer, instead she left the compartment and found a seat all by herself and let herself cry until they reached the old castle.

Hermione didn't attend the opening ceremony. She stayed crying on her bed, a book open next to her. She finally was able to bring herself up on her bed and she wiped her tears. Hermione trailed her fingers across her "Mudblood" scar, which was still fairly visible.

 _"It hurts." Hermione said as she arrived at Shell Cottage, where Fleur and Bill were at the table. They looked at her, concerned. They knew that something happened with Hermione, but they weren't sure what._

 _"'Ermione!" Fleur ran to her, immediately running her hands through her hair. "Are you alright? Oh my goodnezz! We will need you cleaned, come with me, I will take you to ze spare room."_

 _"I think we'll also need to get to Fred, he'd be worried sick." Bill said, walking up to the two girls. "I'm sure he would want to know if you're okay."_

 _"Yez. I will zend a Patronuz to Fred." Fleur ran out of the room, leaving Bill and Hermione alone. He dabbed a cloth at her wounds._

 _"How do you kn-know?" Hermione stammered, wincing at the pain._

 _"I've seen the looks you two gave each other back at the wedding. I'm not stupid, Hermione." Bill laughed. Then he lowered his voice. "Hermione, what happened in there? Did they…?" Bill widened his eyes. "They tortured you, didn't they?"_

 _"Well, I didn't carve this in myself." said Hermione, unmoving._

 _"Those bloody bastards!" Bill cursed, and he moved the cloth, a bit too quickly, causing Hermione to whimper. "Oh, Godric's ghost, I'm so sorry, Hermione."_

 _"It's okay." she breathed. After ten minutes of silence. "It's not going to go away, is it? The scar?"_

 _"Hermione…" Bill started. "You were tortured by dark magic, and that cannot easily be erased. But...does it still hurt?"_

 _'No, it doesn't. Thank you, Bill.' Hermione smiled, at least, she thought she did. She hadn't really had many things to smile out nowadays. She just needed Fred. Bill gave her a quick one-armed hug before leaving the room._

 _"Hermione?" Hermione turned around and saw the all-too familiar redhead she had so wanted to see._

 _"Fred!"_

 _Fred wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Fleur got to me, she told me to Apparate here because of some emergency and whatnot. Wh-why are you here?"_

 _Hermione took a breath before showing her arm. Fred widened his eyes._

 _"What? Who did this?"_

 _"Shh." Hermione said. "Just hold me."_

 _Fred relaxed slightly and then held her, although he still wanted an answer._

 _"Promise me you'll always be here with me." Hermione whispered._

 _"I promise."_

This was it. Hermione couldn't do it anymore, she just _couldn't_. At least, not without Fred by her side. She still felt so guilty for his death, and she knew she couldn't live with it until the end.

She made her way to Mcgonagall's new headmistress' office.

" _Albus Dumbledore_."

The door swung open and she ran in, looking around frantically. She'd been given the password, as she was the only one from the Golden Trio who had come back to Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall had given it to her if she needed any help, or just time to keep her mind off things. Right now, she was here to do neither. Instead, she used her wand to cast a spell at the minute hole in the corner of the office. She'd done the same exactly five years ago.

Breathing heavily, Hermione produced a tiny necklace-like accessory – a time turner. The only one left. The one that Hermione hid in her Third Year. The one that would bring a certain person back from the dead.

"Miss Granger."

Hermione ignored Albus' painting and focused on the time turner.

"Miss Granger, if this is what you are planning to do, you must know that there are consequences."

Hermione still ignored the painting. When she had finally plucked up the courage, she started to turn it.

* * *

 **First chapter done! There will be several more flashbacks in the course of the next few chapters. I hope you liked it! Remember, click the link in my profile and subscribe to the amazing vidder katarinamor!**


	2. until we breathe again

**Thank you all to those who followed and favourited this story! And thank you to GardenOfSnow for making this story happen!**

* * *

Chapter Two

Almost There

* * *

Hermione's vision was blurred and her head ached fit to burst. She opened her eyes for only a millisecond and felt her eyes burn with a fierce passion. Her head was flooded with memories, sad and happy, angry and calm.

 _"Love is anterior to life, posterior to death, initial of creation, and the exponent of breath." Hermione read, taking a glance at Fred every now and again, who was resting his head on her lap. She turned the page. "Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality."_

 _"Okay, what the heck did you just read?" Fred asked, taking his head off Hermione and sitting upright. He started to laugh. "I mean, when I asked you to read to me, I expected 'The Warlock's Hairy Heart', or even 'The Fountain of Fair Fortune', which is, like,_ so _boring. I wasn't expecting Shakespeare. Come on, 'Mione, you know how much I hate Shakespeare. I've had enough with Mum reading it to me, quoting 'he was a great wizard bla bla bla'."_

 _"For one, this is not Shakespeare, who, can I say,_ is _a great wizard_ , _for the thousandth time, it's_ Emily Dickinson _, who, yes, is a Muggle. She's a poet, and I find her poems very meaningful and touching." Hermione sighed. "But of course, if you'd like me to read you 'Snow White' then sure..."_

 _"But snow_ is _white." Fred said, confused. "And I don't like poems. Especially if it's by Shakespeare."_

 _"It's by_ Emily Dickinson _, Fred." Hermione said loudly, getting more and more impatient by the second. "Emily Dickinson._ _Emily freaking Dickinson."_

 _Fred snorted loudly. "She has a very creative surname." At that, Hermione hit the book on his head and he winced in pain, rubbing his head vigorously. "_ Ow _! Gee, woman!"_

 _"Fred, you are quite forgetting that you are now a seventeen-year-old. Yet you act even more immature than Ronald – and that's saying something!" Hermione exclaimed._

 _"What?" laughed Fred. "Once a prankster. Always a prankster."_

 _Hermione picked up her book, tempted to hit him over his head again. "More like, once an idiot. Always a freaking idiot."_

 _"You do know I am sitting about half a metre away from you, right?" Fred said, amused at Hermione. She plastered a smile on her face and this time hit Fred's shoulder with her book. "Okay, 'Mione, you've got to stop hitting me! You're abusing me."_

 _"Of course I am." Hermione snorted. "And yes, I am very well aware."_

 _"Read me more. Anything to shut you up." Fred pleaded, resting his head back on Hermione's lap again._

 _"Fine." Hermione rolled her eyes. She turned the page in her book and started to read once again. "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all."_

 _Once she finished the last line, Fred stayed silent, looking out in front of him very thoughtfully._

 _"So?" Hermione cleared her throat._

 _"I like that one."_

Hermione felt like her throat was on fire - she couldn't breathe, or move, or even open her mouth. She still wasn't sure where she was, but her whole world was already disappearing from her reach.

 _"Are you mad at me for leaving Hogwarts?" asked Fred softly. He was concerned about whatever had been going on between him and Hermione, especially with Hermione ignoring him a lot recently. "I understand if you are, 'Mione, I wasn't planning on leaving you there. George and I weren't even planning on leaving until the very end of our N.E.W.T.S but you know, things occured... If you're angry, tell me, Mia. Please." He added at the end._

 _"I'm not angry, or mad." Hermione sighed. "But you left school in the middle of your last year, even before taking your exams. Aren't you worried about which jobs you won't be able to get? I mean, who wants a life like Filch?"_

 _"George and I knew the consequences. That's why we started the joke shop!" Fred tried his best to smile, but something in Hermione's eyes numbed his lips half-way. "Just think about it – it's not ideal but..."_

 _"I have. And you've given me a good enough explanation. I want to talk no more about this, okay?"_

 _Fred widened his eyes. "Hermione, I don't care if I get like twenty-year lecture or anything, just tell me you're not mad."_

 _"I'm not, for Godric's sake." Hermione laughed. "Stop being such a worry guts."_

 _Fred sighed in relief. He trailed his thumb across her tender cheeks. "I missed you a lot, 'Mione."_

 _Hermione placed her hand on his fingers. "Yeah, I know."_

Hermione could see lights. The lines shot at her, burning her eyes, her mouth, her whole body, and it caused her to shrink down, although there was no place to shrink down into. It pained her – all of it – it pained her. And it just wouldn't go away.

 _Everyone sat in huddles in the Great Hall. Not a week had passed since the last task of the Triwizard Tournament, and everyone was still shaken up from Cedric's sudden death. Out of all the people, Harry had been the most disturbed, and he barely left his dormitory, not even for meals. But how could anyone blame him?_

 _The seconds turned into minutes, which turned into hours, which turned into days, and soon it was once again the end of another year. Harry, Hermione and Ron walked together to the Great Hall, for their last meal before they said goodbye again. Hermione and Ron looked at Harry warily, who had barely touched his scrambled eggs._

 _"Well," Hermione said tactfully, knowing Harry would want to be left alone. "I think I'm going to back and triple check I've got everything. Okay, Harry?" Hermione shot Ron a look and he too stood up, repeating what Hermione had just said. When Harry shrugged, Hermione and Ron left the table, Hermione kissing Harry's forehead just before getting up._

 _"I'm worried about him, 'Mione." Ron said when they were out._

 _"You don't think I feel the same way?" Hermione sighed. "Harry hasn't slept a wink, eaten anything, well, he hasn't_ done _anything, not since...the task. What if something happens when he's back with his relatives, what do you think_ they're _going to do?"_

 _Ron shrugged. "I'm sure he'll be okay. Well, he's Harry."_

 _Hermione suppressed a smile as they walked on. In the corner of her eye, she saw a red-head sitting on a bench, alone. When she realised it was one of the twins, she furrowed her brow, wondering why their other half wasn't with them. Hermione stopped short, causing Ron to turn around._

 _"I'll, um, catch up with you later." Hermione mumbled, already turning on her heel. She sat down next to the twin, and she realised it was Fred. She then immediately blushed. She wasn't sure what was going on with her and Fred – they had, for some reason, been hanging out together more in the year, and they'd both had felt this... somewhat_ strange _feeling when Hermione went to the Yule Ball with Krum and Fred with Angelina, although they weren't quite able to distinguish it._

 _"Hey, Hermione." Fred smiled, although his words – they seemed to be too quick out of his mouth, too meaningless when out. "How are you?"_

 _"Good." Hermione smiled back, although she could sense that something was wrong. "Hey, Fred, is... is everything alright?"_

 _"Yes, everything's fine." Fred said through gritted teeth, which, unfortunately, Hermione was able to notice._

 _"Fred..." Hermione pleaded with her eyes, making Fred even more uncomfortable. "Fred, what's wrong? I can tell that something's not right..."_

 _Fred kept his mouth shut. "There's really nothing."_

 _Hermione sighed. "I wish I could believe you."_

 _Fred threw his hands up in the air. "Maybe you should just..._ stop _hanging around me." It hurt even himself when he said it. Before he had known it, Fred had fallen for Hermione, and he was terrified of the outcome._

 _"Wh-what?" Hermione's voice shook. "But why? What have I done?"_

 _Fred just shook his head and took off running. He then stopped himself, thinking things over. He was Fred Weasley, chief prankster, maker of some early Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and he was running away from Hermione Granger, simply because he was scared. He almost laughed at how stupid that sounded._

 _"Fred, stop. Please, just tell me what I did wrong." Hermione pleaded. "Please…"_

 _Fred covered his ears with his hands and walked off._

Hermione felt like she was slowly being sucked out of some place, and she could finally breathe.

 _Hermione was still not sure why Fred had been acting so strange. She felt hurt. She felt very hurt._

 _She couldn't deny her feelings for Fred. They'd grown throughout her Fourth Year, but she didn't have the guts to talk to him properly about them. She hoped maybe in Fifth Year, things would change, but now it was obvious it wasn't._

 _Hermione sighed as she saw Fred sitting by himself by the fire._

 _"Fred." Hermione said, barely audible._

 _Fred immediately turned around and his face fell. Merlin, why couldn't he like some normal girl - like Angelina? Or even Katie? "H-Hermione…"_

 _"Why?" she blurted out. "Why have you been acting like... like I'm invisible or something? You haven't looked at me_ once _since the end of the last year. And I've been here for days now."_

 _"What on earth are you talking about?" Fred said quickly, almost too quickly. "Hermione, I've been treating you like I always have."_

 _"No, you're not." Hermione said, taking a deep breath. She felt like she was going to cry, but she knew that would be an absolutely stupid thing to do. "You've been pretending I don't exist ever since I got here. No, ever since we had that talk only a few months ago."_

 _"What... talk?"_

 _Hermione clenched her fists. "The talk we had at school, only last month. The talk when you told me that I should stop hanging around with you. I don't get it, Fred, we were fine before."_

 _Fred gulped. "I… Hermione... I know you would like to but... there are some things you can't... know…"_

 _Hermione nodded slowly. "Right." She then suddenly felt anger flash through her. "We were friends_ _before. Really good friends. Everything was fine. The next minute, I no longer mean anything to you. What, do you do this to everyone?"_

 _Fred opened his mouth but it was as if the words he was going to say escaped him, and he remained silent._

 _"Right, thank you so much." Hermione scoffed, turning on her heel._

 _"Hermione, it's not like that…"_

 _"Then what is it like, Fred?" Hermione asked. "Do you even know how it felt to be ignored like that? Especially after I realised I had... I…"_

 _Fred looked down, feeling immensely guilty. "It's hard to hang out with someone who you already know you're going to lose…"_

 _Hermione paused. "How are you going to lose me? I know You-Know-Who's back but... he's not fully recovered yet. And Hogwarts is safe enough, especially with Dumbledore with us."_

 _"Not in that way." Fred whispered so quietly, even Hermione didn't hear. "I just... I made a stupid mistake."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _Fred sighed. "I fell for you."_

 _Hermione whipped her head up, unsure if she heard the right four words. "You_ what _?" When Fred didn't answer her, she lifted his chin up and stared right into his eyes._

 _"Fred." When he didn't answer for the second time, she leaned in and kissed him. He kissed back, before pulling away seconds later._

 _"Hermione, this is wrong. This is really wrong."_

Memories flashed and faded in her mind. She wasn't sure about many things, but she knew one thing for sure. She was almost there.

 _"...never mind..."_

 _"No." Hermione whispered. "I want this too."_

Everything looked so clear. She could see a tiny sign from miles away, and the top of Big Ben. She turned around and realised she was in front of a very large house, or flat.

She smiled _._ __

 _12 Grimmauld Place._

It had worked.

She looked down at her Hogwarts robes and frowned slightly. She then took out her bag and pulled out a pair of jeans and a stripy polo. Hermione then scraped her hair in a ponytail before setting foot into the Muggle area.

Closing her eyes, she felt the walls of the houses around her widen. When she opened her eyes, she saw a large door right in front of her.

" _Alohomora_."

With a deep breath, she entered.

* * *

 **Feedback is appreciated :)**


	3. warning sign

**Hello :) so most of this chapter is credit it to GardenOfSnow :) who helped me a LOT through this AND made this story happen XD**

 **We have maybe two-three chapters left :)**

* * *

Chapter Three

A Warning

* * *

Hermione shivered as she closed the door behind her and the house enclosed her into its somber embrace. She was cold, she was nervous, but most of all, she was scared – frightened, even. Merlin, she was here to warn Fred about his _death_.

Her head was so engrossed with thoughts that she almost ran straight into the dining room, where a dozen redheads plus a younger Harry and a younger Hermione were sitting around the table.

"Well... Daddy's back!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed and the room erupted with cheers and laughs. Hermione smiled to herself as she saw Fred discreetly put an arm around the younger Hermione.

Hermione suddenly felt a sadness overwhelm her. Back where she belonged, there was no Fred. No Fred to hold her hand, no Fred to kiss all her troubles away, no Fred to make her happy. Hermione grabbed onto the door handle for stability – she didn't know it was going to be this hard, seeing Fred again.

Hermione had to spend no less than an hour behind the door, leaning on the wall and entwining with its cracks, hiding and waiting, while the joyful chatter from the dining room echoed in her ears. Finally, everyone poured out of the room. Hermione stayed in her spot, stiff and silent, being careful not to be seen

The gap through the door was just about visible, and Hermione caught sight of Fred and her younger self.

"I guess this is better than you reading to me." Hermione heard Fred say, and she didn't have to see his face to know he was smirking. " _Right_?"

Hermione moved closer and saw the two of them in an embrace.

"Or I _could_ just read to you, you know." A smirk played on the younger Hermione's lips. The younger Hermione crouched down, picking up an old, worn-out book from under the chair she'd been sitting on.

"You seriously bring a book to every family meal?" Fred scoffed. "Nah, I think I'm good with the position we were in a minute ago." He lowered his voice. "I'm sure _you_ liked it too, eh, Mia?"

"Oh, shut it." The other Hermione rolled her eyes, picking the book up.

"You wound me, Mia." Fred said. "Ow!" Fred rubbed his head, which had just been hit with a book.

"Serves you right." The younger Hermione grinned, pulling from the hug. "Nightie night, don't let the bugs bite."

Fred pouted. "Don't I get a goodnight kiss?"

The other Hermione just tutted before brushing her lips softly against Fred's. "Goodnight."

"Your book?" Fred asked, picking up the tatty novel left on the table.

Hermione grinned, waggling her finger in his face. "Time for you to buckle up, be a good, clever boy and _read_."

Hermione shrunk down when her younger self skipped out of the kitchen and made her way to the stairs. Hermione then turned back to Fred, who had picked up the book and started flicking through the pages carelessly. He then yawned, before standing up again, probably ready to Apparate to his and George's shared bedroom. Hermione ran in before he could and shut the door behind her, causing Fred to turn around confused.

Fred squinted at Hermione's straighter hair and taller figure. 'Hey, Mia… forgot something?' Fred furrowed his brow. 'You look different. Mia.' He then burst out laughing, startling Hermione. 'You know, Hermione, I didn't know our age gap was worrying you too much. Of course, you look _very_ pretty but seriously, you shouldn't have used an ageing spell – I'm sure you'll regret it in the future! What if you end up-' Before Fred could finish the sentence, Hermione had got the very same book he'd been looking through and hit him over his head; it was like second nature.

Fred shook his head. "Twice in a-"

But before Fred could finish, Hermione smothered him in a bone-crunching hug as she just came to think about how much she missed Fred. She missed every single thing. She missed his hair, she missed his cheeks, she missed his freckles, but most of all, she missed his lips.

"You okay there?" Fred asked.

Hermione burst into tears. She got out her wand and waved it at the walls. " _Muffliato_."

"Hermione! You're underage! You can't do magic! Do you know what that toad Umbitch is going to do? _Hermione_!" Fred exclaimed, snatching the wand out of her hand.

"I didn't forget anything." Hermione said quietly. "I came here to... tell you something. I'm not... the Hermione you just saw."

"What are you talking about?" Fred asked, a confused look upon his face.

"I missed you so much!" Hermione blurted out. "Merlin, I wasn't sure what I was going to do without you. I had to come back... to tell you... to tell you…"

"Hermione, er, you saw me, like, two seconds ago." Fred raised an eyebrow. "Did George give you the wrong teabag? Oh, Mia, that one-"

"No." Hermione mumbled. "Fred, just... you need to listen to me. There's something really...important you need to know. Something you must keep to yourself. You can't tell anyone. Not even George, not even me. The... other me."

Fred nodded reluctantly, buying what she said. "Wh-what is it?"

Hermione closed her eyes. "I'm from the future. About three years into the future, actually. And I came back to give you a warning…"

"A w-warning?" Fred gulped. He didn't like where this was heading.

"He's really back. V-Voldemort. I know you would've believed Harry anyway, but he's back. And he's stronger than ever." Hermione then corrected herself. " _Was._ In Ron's, Harry's and my Seventh Year, there was a war."

"A war?" stammered Fred.

"We all fought in it, even Ginny." Hermione was close to breaking down again.

"Gin... no, did Ginny…?" Fred himself looked close to tears.

"No, not Ginny." Hermione let the tears fall, and she let Fred wrap his arms around her. "Huge…e-explosion... half of H-Hogwarts d-damaged... the…"

"M-Mia…" Fred patted her back, pulling her even closer. "It's... not...it wasn't... _too_ … bad... was it?" He then closed his eyes, already dreading her answer.

"You and P-Percy were f-fighting Death Eaters when the e-explosion came…" Hermione choked on her tears. "It blew up a-almost e-everything... it w-was bad... v-very bad."

Fred cast his eyes down, hiding the fact that tears were running down his face.

"I still remember seeing you, Fred... there... on the g-ground... I kept telling you to o-open your eyes." Hermione cried. "You p-promised you'd be s-safe…"

Fred finally looked up. "Georgie...is he okay?"

"H-he was a mess after y-you…" Hermione started. "But he's been better now. Sometimes...he even cracks jokes."

Fred suppressed a smile. "And everyone else?"

"It's not the same anymore." Hermione said. "I knew it was a risk... and I knew that... something could go terribly wrong... but... I couldn't live without you. That's why I came here... I just couldn't imagine a life with no F-Fred."

Fred laced his fingers around Hermione's.

"You can't go near the Room of Requirement!" Hermione exclaimed. "You can't let anyone go near there. Stay away from there, fight somewhere else, just...whatever you do, please don't go there."

Fred looked down. "But... if I was... there... someone else will need to protect it, right?"

"F-Fred..."

"But if I was protecting that part of the castle... if I... don't go there..." Fred finally looked up and his eyes met Hermione's. "Someone else could die."

Hermione swallowed. "You...can't..."

Fred shook his head. "Then I'll try my very hardest to stop this explosion. I mean, if it's made by the other side, they're all probably some daft ferret-headed bimbos, aren't they?"

"I'm serious." Hermione sobbed.

Something was telling Fred to say he'd stay away, but something was telling him that if he didn't...someone else could...

"I'll... see what I can do..." Fred said through gritted teeth.

"Fred, _I'm being serious_." Hermione pleaded. "Please... don't... if I have to live through it again... I don't know what I'm going to do."

Fred opened his mouth but closed it, as if all the words had been somehow sucked away from him.

"Fred... you need to trust me."

Finally, Fred nodded. "Okay. I... swear." He then squeezed Hermione's hand gently.

"You _won't_ go near there, if it's the last thing you do."

Fred squeezed her hand. "I swear. I swear I won't."

Hermione gave him one last hug before moving towards the door. "Be safe."

Fred smiled at her, more tears streaming down his face. "I will, Mia, I will."

Hermione left the room and opened the front door. She looked back at Fred, who was now staring down at the table, his face with no emotion. Her heart ached for him – she knew that it would be a lot to take in, but she couldn't lose him again.

She'd go back to the future. He'd be there, smiling.

It would all go back to normal.

They'd have their scars of course, physical and mental. But they'd have Freddie back. George would be happy like he used to be, Harry and Ron would stop blaming themselves, Ginny would stop sobbing every night, asking for her older brother, Mr and Mrs Weasley would stop wishing it was them…and Hermione would be herself again.

She closed her eyes and she disappeared from the year of 1995.

* * *

 **Feedback will be appreciated :)**


	4. parallels

**Once again, thank you for all the reviews/follows/favourites! This the second last chapter :)) Thank you so much GardenOfSnow for your amazing suggestions (that I have once again used)**

* * *

Chapter Four

Parallels

* * *

Hermione blinked a few times to get used to her surroundings. Back she was, exactly where she started off –in Dumbledore's old office. She still felt struck between two different worlds – struck between two different Freds. There was the Fred back at Grimmauld Place – young, happy, carefree, until she piled on him his fate. And there was the Fred who she hoped had made it – the Fred she hoped was equally happy and carefree.

"Miss Granger?"

The voice drew Hermione out from her thoughts and startled her. There was Professor McGonagall, wearing the same old robes and spectacles she always did.

"I wasn't aware of you visiting. I presumed you were at home..." Professor McGonagall, although she seemed pleased, looked confused. Hermione frowned. She had come back to Hogwarts to complete her Seventh Year – wouldn't McGonagall be aware of that?

Then realization hit her as she peered over at the moving calendar.

 _June 5th_.

The picture was pretty – a glorious landscape decorated with daffodils and tulips. She turned her head slightly to her right, directly out the stained-glass window. Hogwarts seemed to be in good condition, despite being almost completely destroyed – if she was right – only a mere month before.

If she remembered correctly, Hermione had come back after the month, a complete wreck, informing McGonagall of her returning to Hogwarts when the new year came.

"I-I... wanted to tell you that I will be coming back in September to finish my N.E.W.T.S."

McGonagall's smile could have lit the whole room up. "That is magnificent news!" She suddenly looked hesitant. "But are you sure, Miss Granger? I know it must be difficult for you to return after losing..."

Hermione's heart sank. Had all she done been in vain? Did Fred – reckless as he was – die?

Swallowing slowly, she muttered, "Y-yes, I am positive, Professor."

The smile returned onto Professor McGonagall's face. "It will be a delight to have you back. You cannot even to start to imagine how much I've missed teaching you."

"Thank you, Professor."

McGonagall nodded, and she looked at Hermione, sadness once again filling her eyes. "You are very brave, Hermione. I'm really sorry for so many..." she paused.

There was only one question on her mind. Was Fred alive? _Was Fred alive?_

McGonagall gave her the weakest of smiles. "Well, Miss Granger, it is too dark for you to go back now. Would you like a room for the night?" McGonagall asked. When Hermione nodded, she pointed outwards. "You can take the Head Girl's room. You will be very comfortable there."

"Once again, thank you." Hermione said. "I will Floo back first thing tomorrow."

"No worries, dearest. Now, I have a few things to sort out here and there. Go get yourself cleaned up and the dormitory is just around the corner. The password is ' _victory'_." Professor McGonagall's eyes twinkled. "Goodnight, Hermione."

Hermione returned the farewell, smiling politely.

"And Hermione? When you get back home, do give my best to all the Weasleys." McGonagall said. "They have been through so much – especially with almost losing dear Frederick... I heard... Is he doing alright?"

Hermione looked up alarmed. She thought of a quick lie - "Y-yes, he's doing g-great."

"That's good to hear." McGonagall gave her one last smile, before trodding off.

When McGonagall left the office, Hermione almost exploded with joy. Happiness filled every fibre of her being; it even overcame all her pain and grief caused by the war and Fred's previous death. But now - Fred was safe and _alive_.

Finally, after all those months of heavy grief, she felt as light as a feather, earning for the happiness that had been taken away from her. Her fingers slid into her pocket, and she took out the final thing that was lashing her to the horrors of the past – the time-turner. This was the end. She would leave it here, in that very same hole in that very same place – where it belonged.

Suddenly, she caught sight of the portrait of Albus Dumbledore. He was not smiling.

All of the words came rushing to her head.

 _Miss Granger, if this is what you are planning to do, you must know there are consequences._

Slowly and unwillingly, she let the time-turner slide back down into her pocket. Perhaps, it is not time yet. Perhaps.

She made a promise to herself – she'd take it back and place it in its original place - just until she was certain there was no more to worry about.

And without looking into Dumbledore's eyes, she rushed out of the office and down to the Head Girl's dorm.

" _Victory_." she mumbled, and the doors opened. She collapsed onto the bed almost the second she was in.

And for the first time in almost a year, she dreamt of happy things.

Her mind melted away to the summer before her Sixth Year.

 _Hermione felt like punching someone. Or at least, really, really hurting someone. That "someone" being Frederick Gideon Weasley, or in other words, the most annoying prat ever to have roamed the planet. And she'd been one to think that everything had been sorted out between the two only the day before._

 _Hermione rubbed her newly-made black eye, only stopping to wince at the sudden shot of pain._

 _"Yez, I 'eard from Beell that Fred and George are very amuzing!" Fleur said delightfully in front of her, Ron and Harry._

 _Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, I can hardly breathe."_

 _Three owls flew in, dropping three identical envelopes on their breakfast plates._

 _"Oh, Merlin!" Hermione said frantically, waving her arms all over the place. "It's our O.W.L.S results! It's... it's... aghh!"_

 _"Chill, Hermione." Ron laughed at her, nudging Hermione playfully, leaving her rather taken aback. He'd never acted like this before._

 _"He's right, 'Mione," said Harry. "don't you worry – you'll do absolutely splendidly."_

 _Hermione calmed herself down, nimbly moving her fingers across the sealed wax. Tension filled the air, so thick that it could literally be hammered down. Hermione sighed in relief as she saw the long list O's. Only one E was there - for DADA. She couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed._

 _"Well," Harry started. "do okay, you two?"_

 _Ron laughed, picking up a pear from the fruit bowl. "So-so."_

 _"Not b-bad..." Hermione mumbled._

 _"Well, I think we should go treat ourselves to Fred and George's new shop!" exclaimed Ron._

 _Fleur grinned. "I'll tell Beell! Oh and 'Ermione, you steell 'ave that 'orrendous black eye."_

 _"Thank you, Fleur, I was almost able to forget about that." Hermione said through gritted teeth._

 _The walk to 93_ _Diagon Alley was the most tedious thing Hermione had ever experienced. There was Ron, Harry and Ginny talking about the oh so brilliant wonders of Quidditch, and there was Phlegm blabbing nonstop about some_ chateau _in France before stopping to giggle, "Oh, 'ow 'andsome iz Beell?"_

 _Hermione's jaw dropped open as she saw the shop. Shelves and shelves of products - it really was extraordinary._

 _"Hello!" Fred and George appeared behind them._

 _Hermione gritted her teeth. "Hello."_

 _"Oh, what happened to your eye?" Fred asked, gesturing to Hermione's black eye._

 _"Your wonderful in every way Punching Telescope. Get it off now – I refuse to walk around like a demented clown for the rest of my life." Hermione said indignantly. "_ Frederick Gideon Weasley _."_

 _"Sorry, Herms, come with me, I'll give you some healing balm. Ah – Georgie, come give Scarface a tour, will you?" Fred took Hermione into one of the back store cupboards. "I missed you."_

 _"I would've if one of your products didn't end up on_ my _face. Why not Phlegm?" Hermione whined._

 _"Sorry." grinned Fred, before leaning in for a kiss. Before they knew it, they were against one of the shelves. Several minutes later they broke apart, Hermione resting her head on his shoulder. "So... your results came?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"And you got your complete set of Oustandings?" Fred asked._

 _"Not quite." Hermione said quietly. "I got one Exceeds Expectations. In DADA."_

 _"And you are_ disappointed _?!" exclaimed Fred._

 _"Shut up." Hermione said. She tiptoed and kissed him again._

 _"_ Hermione _!" called a voice from outside. Hermione and Fred quickly broke apart, Fred handing her the salve. Harry walked in, looking at the two._

 _"I… will..." Fred started, and for truly the first time, he was flustered. "Georgie... he... tour... nice?"_

Hermione woke up with a smile on her face. Her hands instinctively felt in her back pocket of her Muggle jeans and she pulled out the time-turner, hot and heavy in her hands.

She suddenly felt a pang of regret – what she had done was _stupid_. Reckless, careless, idiotic, _all of it_. She'd abandoned the fact that there were going to be severe consequences and she'd taken all the risks without a second glance.

Fred was indeed alive – but what if something else had gone horrifically wrong?

Gulping, she changed quickly and quietly, ready to Floo back over.

And she realised she'd have to face... _him_. In _real life_. Not like she hadn't before, but...Fred was alive. He was supposed to have died and now he was _alive_.

She wasn't sure how on earth she was going to be able to do that.

* * *

The Burrow still stood as tall and proud as before, with the occasional gnome nipping around in the lawn. Hermione took three long strides to the entrance.

She knocked once, twice, _three_ times.

A pale and worn-out Molly stood at the door. Tired as she looked, Hermione could see the joy in her eyes. She smiled – she hadn't seen Molly like that. Not since...

"Hermione, darling!" Molly squeezed Hermione in a tight hug. "Did you make it to Hogwarts alright? You weren't completely alone? Nobody tried to hurt you? You weren't alone? You had a nice sleep? Plenty of-"

"Seriously, I'm fine." Hermione said. "I've been gone nine hours."

Molly pulled Hermione into the house, still smiling her warm Molly smile. "Fred's in the kitchen, eating his dessert and taking advantage of being the sick child of the family." she laughed. "You should have seen how many cakes he's just eaten in one gulp - pretty shocking, actually. But I'm sure it's the sign of him getting better."

"That's good," mumbled Hermione. Her heart was steadily growing in pace, her breath shortened and she nervously tapped her fingers on her arm.

Why was this so hard?

She'd be seeing the love of her life again. She'd be seeing him perfectly alive and healthy, just like he had promised to be.

With the final effort she pushed the door and entered the room, her heart still pounding out of her chest. There, at the table, surrounded by bowls of fruit and cake as Molly had said, sat the red-head she had grown to fall in love with. He raised his head and as he caught sight of her, he greeted her with a broad smile.

"Mia!" he exclaimed. "Glad you've made it before I ate all of this up. Have some raspberry pie, will you?"

Hermione was looking back at him, speechless, eyeing every line of his face, every freckle of his face, every wrinkle in his smile. He was here – just as he was supposed to be. _Her_ Fred, alive, beaming and cracking jokes as always. She stood there, frozen, maybe for a little too long. The moment she finally took her eyes off him, she noticed he was gazing back at her with a concerned, perhaps even fearful expression, with a ghost of a smile still lingering on his face.

"I just..." Hermione tried to answer something, _anything_ , to hide the feelings that were overwhelming her. "Yes, of c-course..."

With her eyes downcast and full of tears, she came up to the table and took a seat next to Fred. But he didn't give her the raspberry pie. Instead, he said quietly, "You've just done it... right? Went back in time..."

Hermione looked up at him with an expression unreadable. "How do you know?"

Fred tried to shrug. "You're somehow... different. And... well, I knew it must happen someday, mustn't it?"

Hermione reached for him and let herself almost collapse into his embrace. "I'm s-sorry... I'm so sorry for leaving you..." she sobbed.

"Oh no... please don't cry... I'm absolutely hopeless with crying girls..." Fred looked around, a little uncertainty in his face, before looking back down at Hermione. "Sorry for what? You didn't leave me... You saved my life."

A smile found its way through Hermione's tears. "Yes, I made it," she mumbled, lacing her fingers around his own and breathing in his sweet, seductive scent. Would it be long until she ever got used to it? No... this was life. _This was life_. She pulled out of his arms gently, just to take another look at his face. "I just... I can't believe it. I... I love you. Never – _never_ – leave again." She kissed him not a second later, sparks igniting at each touch as she let herself sniff and take in the calming scent of freshly mown grass.

"I won't," Fred murmured into the kiss. "And I love you, too."

* * *

Her throat was burning, and she needed a nice, cooling drink. She made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen, only to find Fred face-down on the table, a book balancing on his head. She couldn't help but laugh at the sight; he looked so adorable in the very position.

"Ow..." Fred groaned as he turned his head, the book falling on his face. He moved his head up with a shot, and a look of confusion appeared on his face when he saw Hermione standing in front of him. Embarrassed, he murmured, "Hullo, Mia."

"Hey," Hermione said, hiding the hint of amusement in her voice. Her eyebrows shot up as she turned her gaze to the book placed beside him. Realisation dawned on her as she realised exactly what he was reading. "Emily Dickinson."

Fred snorted. "Yup, with the creative-" Fred stopped short when he saw Hermione's face. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Just please, dear god, _don't_ hit me with the wretched book."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're reading."

Fred laughed. "So I am."

"That's..." Hermione's eyes wandered around, searching for a suitable word to fit him.

"Strange? Out of the ordinary? Unbelievable?" Fred suggested, tilting his head at an angle.

"All three equally work well," Hermione plonked herself down onto the seat next to him, picking up to examine the book.

"A nice night-time read." Fred noted, gently taking her hands in his.

"Of course, something you always do." Hermione let out a girly giggle, resting her head on his shoulder. He ran his fingers up her arm, bringing her close to him. "I'm really glad... I'm really glad that we're both right here, right now."

"I'm really glad too." Fred smiled warmly at her, his lips briefly brushing hers. "I love you."

Hermione giggled again, feeling like her sill sixteen-year-old self. "I love you, too." It was silent for a little while. Hermione kept her focus on Fred, once again examining his face. Her eyes met his and his lips crept up. It was a strange combination – the piercing blue and the dark but warm brown. But all the same, it was beautiful. For, maybe the twentieth time (although she'd never get bored of it), she looked up into his blue pools of emotion, this time seeing something completely different. It worried her – all of a sudden, he looked... _pained_ almost.

"Fred?" Hermione asked.

"Mm?" Fred mused, snapping out of his daze.

"Are you alright?"

Fred rubbed his eye. "Fine," he sighed. "really, I'm just a little tired."

 _Someone else could die._

The words rushed to her head, grasping at every little bit of hope and happiness she had, consuming it. Instead, regret and worry overcame her.

They exchanged a look – a pained look – a look which made them both realise something.

"Mum won't tell me," Fred said reading her mind. "She won't tell me anything. She won't tell me about all those deaths. I guess she thought I couldn't handle it, but then I argued all I had was a broken leg... Yet she won't tell me. She doesn't... know, does she?"

Hermione shook her head fervently. "Of course I didn't tell her." Her voice was laced with fear now. It filled her – she was scared. Frightened. Terrified.

Fred cast his eyes down. "I... I haven't heard from a lot of people since the...war."

 _Someone else could die._

"Hermione, I can't..." Fred said suddenly. "I can't help not knowing anymore. I need to know who died...if anyone died in my place."

Hermione was reluctant at first, but she realised that she too couldn't help not knowing. "You're right."

Hermione looked out of the window. It was dark, with not a single star in the sky. She looked back towards the man in front of her. Even without words, she knew what he was thinking, as did he for her. They needed to know what happened.

"I'll Apparate," was the last thing she said before she took his arm and they landed in the grass, somewhere far from home. It took a while for them both to get used to the sudden change of atmosphere.

She was here before. For Fred.

Instinctively, she once again felt for the time-turner, which was still safe in her pocket. She sighed in relief. Her eyes darted off into the horizon, stopping at each gravestone. Her gaze drifted off to the far right, which was exactly where Fred once laid, about forty-thousand turns ago.

Except, there was no sign of his name carved into the marble. Instead:

 _Luna Rosalina Lovegood_  
 _1981 - 1998_

 _Luna_.

Before her heart began to ache, she turned around to see an identical stone.

 _Xenophilius Markus Lovegood_ _  
_ _1961 - 1998_

And that was when the pain hit her. It hit her so hard she stumbled back, straight into Fred's arms. His expression too stayed emotionless, as he read the words on the tombstones.

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but the words disappeared from her mouth. The Lovegoods were dead. Gone. _Dead._

She turned to Fred with tears brimming in her eyes. She too noticed them lingering in Fred's. Their eyes met for milliseconds, until both tore their gaze away.

They seemed to have lost the will to do anything.

"Ickle Freddie lives."

Hermione and Fred whipped their heads around moments after hearing the voice.

Standing in front of them was unmistakably _Bellatrix Lestrange_ , with her wild, unruly hair and cold, dark eyes filled no emotion but greed. She sneered at the sight of both of them, examining her wand while flexing her muscles.

"And the Mudblood." Bellatrix's smirk widened as she fixed her gaze upon Hermione. "Who is to blame for it. What a nice surprise?"

"You...stay away." Fred immediately took a step in front of Hermione, he too getting his wand out and pointing it straight at the Death Eater. Hermione was beyond confused. She had watched with her own very eyes the killing of Bellatrix.

Bellatrix snarled. " _Where is it_?"

Hermione's breath got caught up in he throat. "I-I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Yes, you very well do, Mudblood." Bellatrix took a step closer to the couple. "You have the last remaining time-turner on you. Right now."

Fred pointed his wand straight at Bellatrix, before giving Hermione a quick, alarmed expression. "Stay away from her."

"Scared, Freddiekins?" Bellatrix laughed spitefully. "You don't have the guts to kill me. _Crucio_."

Fred had never felt such pain before – not even when he'd been at the hand of Rookwood. He tumbled onto the moist grass, clutching at his stomach as tight as he possibly could. Hermione screamed and made her way to him, trying to bring him up. He groaned, before Bellatrix shot yet another Unforgivable at him. He was slowly losing consciousness.

Hermione tried to revive him with a small call of his name, hoping to see just a flutter of his eyes, confirming he was okay. He was still alive – but she needed to be sure he was strong enough to stand. She shook his shoulders gently, hoping, _hoping_...

"Fred..." Hermione whispered. "Please be alright..."

He was, and he tried to scream and shout the words, but they weren't coming out. But he felt it – he felt Hermione's cool hand brush against his cheek.

And just then, one voice screamed, droning out every sound possible. It was louder than Hermione's constant _be okay_ , _be okay_ , _be okay_.

" _Avadakedavra_!"

It wasn't Hermione's voice.

And no longer was he able to feel her hand; it was as if a butterfly had just flown away.

His head was still spinning around with the echoes of pain, but he slowly turned around and saw her. Hermione lay only a few feet away, unmoving, with her hair scattered on the ground and her wand still clutched tightly in her hand.

He couldn't believe his eyes. No, he _wouldn't_. An illusion – that was all it was. After all, he was barely conscious. Somebody's chilling laughter penetrated through the pounding of his heart, but he didn't really hear either of them. _It was all an illusion_.

Finally, he got himself up, clutching at the ground before moving himself closer to her. He carefully moved a lock of hair from her still beautiful face and touched her skin, hoping – _desperately hoping_ – that she'd wake up. But her skin, little by little, was becoming as cold as the ground she lay upon.

That was when he realised what pain really was. It wasn't Rookwood, it wasn't being tortured and it wasn't being Crucioed. It felt like...it felt like someone had ribbed his heart out into tiny shreds, leaving a hollow abyss in his chest. He straightened up and shot one murderous glare at Bellatrix, who was insanely giggling like a child at the sight she was seeing.

He didn't waste one second.

" _Avadakedavra_!"

* * *

He took her away from the graveyard, the place where she did not belong in. He laid her down by the riverside, smoothing her hair as tears fell onto her clothers. He kissed her so many times, so many times he told her to wake up, to stop playing the game – and so many times she had stayed like that, unmoving. _Dead_.

He lifted up his gaze at the dim, cold landscape surrounding him and struggled to think about the things he had to do. He had to go back, to tell his family, to tell Harry, to tell _her_ family.

But he couldn't.

He refused to believe that Hermione Granger was dead. It was too wrong.

And he bent his head to her ear, lightly whispering, "It shouldn't have been you. You didn't deserve to die."

He found her pocket where the time-turner was still hidden, as safe as ever. The one tiny object that wasted so many lives – just to save one.

Tears still fresh in his eyes, he began to turn it.

* * *

 **Aghh! We are almost at the end! Quick question - do you get the chapter title's relationship with the chapter...?**


	5. where it all ends

**So this is it** — **where it all ends.**

* * *

 **where it all ends**

* * *

Maybe it was a matter of moments; maybe it was a million and one aeons when he finally realised that he'd made it. Maybe it was never; maybe forever; maybe it was what was in between. Maybe he was just _not_ there—not yet.

But he could see it—he knew that he was getting closer, and closer, and closer, because he could _feel_ it, he really could (but it just wasn't enough).

He could feel it, _he could feel it_ , and yet he couldn't. Not just yet.

Words came in and out, jumbled-up, strained.

 _Who are you, Fred? Where are you going? What are you doing?_

He couldn't see, and could _barely_ hear, but he knew. _I'm coming to finish off what I started._

* * *

 _His eyes met hers in a flurry as he walked over to sign his name on that DA sheet_ — _something about Hermione was... was certainly different. Pen met paper; his eyes met hers, and yet hers didn't meet his._

 _No one would see them as remotely "friends", even if that was something they had agreed on. Since September, she'd had this... cold aura around her that Fred could not quite understand, yet he let it pass, because they were_ friends _, and friends didn't judge._

 _And so he waited_ — _he waited, with the patient on the brink of breaking, until everyone had signed, and let George, Ron, Harry, and Ginny walk off first._

 _"Hermione," Fred called out, in a feeble attempt to claim her attention_ — _it worked. Momentarily._

 _"What do you want, Fred?" she replied, eyes piercing through him like daggers. "Can't you see I'm busy?"_

 _"You... I... Hermione, um..." Fred was never really any good at this, so he went straight to stating the obvious_ — _"You've been ignoring me." He waited for an answer, the patience even weaker than before_ — _he waited, and waited, until she finally opened her mouth. He wasn't sure if he should celebrate, or hibernate._

 _"Oh, that is_ rich _, coming from you," she laughed spitefully, and crossed her arms in defiance._

 _"I'm serious, is something up?" he asked. "Nothing changed between us since..."_

 _Hermione rolled her eyes, and Fred was pretty sure she was going to leave. Once she was half a foot out the_ Hog's Head _, she paused, and turned around. "Fred, can't you see? Everything_ —everything— _has changed. You can't just expect that after we kiss, and tell each other we've fallen for each other, and all of_ that _, everything will be immediately all_ perfect perfect perfect _." Her look of vexation had seemed to be drained out, and replaced by a look of something in between sadness, and just utter_ fed up-ness _. "That's not how it works. It's not how_ love _works."_

 _Silently, Fred nodded, and let her carry on._

 _"It's never going to end like that," Hermione sighed. "You know, you were wrong about a lot of things_ — _but you were right about one. The more I'm with you_ — _" She paused, and looked around the old pub. "_ — _the harder it is to... to be_ just friends _. The more I'm with you, the feeling... it only gets stronger. And you can't expect it to be alright, Fred. You can't_ — _especially not after you broke..." Her words drifted off, and she started to leave again. "Stop trying to be the fixer."_

 _In utter perplexity, and half a mind to go and kiss her senseless, like never before, he just..._ stood _there, frozen, for several moments._

 _"Come on, I'm guessing they're waiting on us," Hermione started to walk out, but Fred picked up his pace, gently getting hold of her wrist_ just as _the cold breeze hit them. He_ knew _that he wasn't thinking (but he wasn't always a logical thinker), and he knew that it was all wrong, because_ he knew _he'd hurt her, and_ he knew _he'd played this game with her. But currently, it was all he could think of doing, and yes, it wasn't logical, and yes, it was_ stupid _, but it was the only thing that would possibly get her to stop._

 _So he kissed her._

 _And for a few moments, he felt heaven on earth. She kissed back, with equal force, and latched onto him, weaving her hands into his red mane, kissing him again, and again, until he fell down, down, down..._

 _Then she pulled away, and turned her whole head around, so much hurt on her face that even_ Fred _could feel the pan._

 _"Hermione," he called out. "Look... I know. I know, I know, I know_ — _I know that you have_ every single right _to want to, I don't know, slap me, punch me, hit me... But I need to tell you this before I explode_ — _I_ do _want this, Hermione. Merlin... sweet Merlin... Hermione, please listen to me."_

 _"Yes, I am listening," Hermione said._

 _"I've been a hypocritial, jealous jerk, okay?" Fred edged closer to her, and what puzzled him was the fact that she didn't move back_ — _but she didn't move any further forward, either. "Hermione." This time, his voice was different_ — _her name, he called it out like it was his lifeline, because maybe it was._

 _"Look, we can forget... never mind." Fred decided to leave her in peace, until_ —

 _"No." Her whisper was hoarse, and barely audible, but to him, it was everything. "I want this, too."_

 _(Her kiss was his lifeline, too.)_

* * *

The world would always puzzle him, because he just didn't understand how it all worked. Wizards didn't really work as, what Muggles would call, "scientists", and no one really taught him how the world spun round, how gravitational forces existed, and how it would be so easy for the _whole of it_ —the atmosphere, the people, the green—to just crash and burn down. _Just like that_.

Fred heaved himself up, a brain all frazzled, and a head spinning faster than a crashing comet. He heaved himself up, and he held onto a tree for stability, except it really didn't help him, not in any way. It was dark, really, really dark, yet the lights were incandescent, and he couldn't do anything, but scrunch his eyes up, and avert his gaze from the non-existent light that was shining his way.

It took a few moments for him to adjust himself to this new world.

And then, nothing seemed to turn out quite right.

It was dark, it really was, and now, it wasn't so much the light blinding him, but the thought of him being here, in the past. It hurt, it all did, but he knew he couldn't helped it.

So he walked on.

He walked on, because for now, that was all he could do. He passed some trees, and many more after that—he saw, in the corner of his eye, the vaguest outline of the Quidditch pitch, eight blocks all spread out, with colours he could just about make out.

And then he saw the castle—still gargantuan, and brilliant, in all its glory. Walls that once would keep them out from the evil spirits of the real world. Walls that once would make them feel safe, and protected. Walls that were only built up (just like defenses), only to be knocked down.

He fumbled around in his pocket for his wand, and with a small flick, and a small murmur, the tip of it lit up, and he walked on, in through the castle doors. He sucked in a breath as he wandered in, only hoping to the heavens that Peeves hadn't caught him out. Hogwarts, it seemed a little different—the pictures all seemed out of place, the stairs seemed to be moving at times too irregular, and it all just seemed so _wrong wrong wrong_.

And it was, because he hadn't come here to feel that rush of nostalgia running through his veins, but because he was here to bring back someone. He was here to bring back Hermione, not memories, yet they all seemed to be attacking him at once.

His footsteps led him to the Gryffindor sixth year dormitory, and still, he faced one problem—the Fat Lady, and the password. Staying out would mean chaos the next morning, and the sheer thought brought an unwelcoming shiver to his spine. _Don't get caught. You can't_. And the words he was reciting seemed to help with nothing, nothing at all.

He reached the door, and saw that she was asleep—he didn't want to wake her up only to be deafened by her screaming, yet he didn't have much choice—

The door, it was open. And so he climbed in, not once looking back. He could only guess why it was open—his younger self, and George, who were all about pranks back in sixth year. Possibly still, if the war hadn't ripped their lives apart, and burnt them like ashes to the ground.

He still remembered exactly where his old room was, and saw his younger self sprawled across the four-poster bed, and a younger George doing exactly the same, on the one beside him.

"I'm sorry," Fred murmured, as he brought his wand up to petrify... himself. It all sounded terribly strange, and in another world, he would probably have laughed at the fact he was _petrifying himself_ , but nowadays, he had nothing to laugh about, did he? " _Petrificus Totalus_."

He moved his younger self into a cupboard, triple locked the door, pulled out some stripy pyjamas, and exhaled deeply.

He slipped into bed and pretended nothing happened.

* * *

At some point, he woke up ( _properly_ woke up, for there were many points in which he had woken up, because he had barely been able to sleep). The sunlight crept in, and hit them hard, but Fred ignored it, and tossed and turned, because that was what a Fred would usually do.

George fell off his bed, and that made Fred sit up, a little jolted. Once again, if he found the amusement in him, he would have laughed.

"You okay, mate?" asked Fred.

George nodded, got himself up, and then looked at him strangely. "Oh no, Fred, have you been taking the Ageing Potion?" He paused. " _Again_?"

Fred looked around, a little skeptical, a little confused, before realising that he'd forgotten to make himself younger—forgetting the stupidest of things, now, was he? "Oh. Yeah. You know, just for the fun of it. Couldn't resist—" He pulled out his wand, flicked it at himself, and then smiled. "Perfect. Maybe even more handsome than before."

"Yeah, right," scoffed George. "We've got a lot to do today, Gred."

"Yeah?" asked Fred, raising an eyebrow. _And I need to find a way to make Hermione hate me_.

"Yeah!" George pressed. "Pranks to pull, homework to leave unfinished..."

"Right," grinned Fred. "Just wait a sec." He pulled out a notebook, and a quill, and jotted down a few letter onto the scrappy piece of parchment. He read it over and over again, making the words burn into his brain.

 _Dearest Mia_ — _  
_

And then, even for just a second, Fred's brain froze—his world, his surroundings, all of it. And then it started moving again, much, much quicker than ever before, spinning, spinning, spinning. Everything became clearer, and then, he was only left to think about _how_ in Merlin's beard he would be able to pull this off.

What was he supposed to do? Just _tell_ her that he no longer wanted to be her friend, because "things were complicated". Or was he going to... flirt with another girl? Fred had never, in any point in his life (maybe minus the Angelina-and-Krum ordeal), seen Hermione jealous. Hermione was Hermione, and that was who she was. She was different to any other girl he knew, who'd glow a remarkable green if he moved so much as two feet within another female human being—that was one of many things he just loved about her.

He didn't know: all he knew was that this would have to be where it all ended. He had to break it, break it to an extent that it just couldn't be fixed any more. By time, by fate, by anyone. It had to be broken, broken enough.

And then the questions kicked in again— _how_? Fred decided that flirting with another girl would be his last resort, because just the thought made him feel so... unclean. Maybe in this time they weren't together, but to him, a few years didn't change _much_.

Correction: it changed bloody _everything_.

There were many wonders of life—many wonders of his life with _Hermione_. The simple bickering, and the fact that he could somehow heal it all with some kiss, and she'd be able to play that same affect. The walks, the ones where silence meant everything as they passed the strolls, and sat down by the green, green grass, looking over at the jewel the Burrow was.

And now, he'd have to break it all.

A mind still only half-conscious, he looked down at the first two words on the note, and frowned. He was here to finish off what he started. And that meant going back to the beginning—the very beginning. The beginning, as in Hermione simply aiding him throughout the simplest of assignments; the beginning, where those assignments were one of the things that made him pick up the oddest things about this extraordinary girl; the beginning, where picking those details had made him see her in a new light, and had brought him to love her so much _it hurt_.

 _If you could do the honour of meeting me at the library at 6PM today, then I would be most grateful, for I am in need of a few "pearls of wisdom" on the ever so humble subject of my Herbology task.  
_ _Sincerely yours,  
_ _Frederick (and unfortunately, Gideon) Weasley_

He threw both the note and the pen down, and proceeded towards the cupboard where he had locked himself in. If he needed things to roll like he wanted them to, _this_ Fred would have to forget, too. _This_ Fred would have to believe that _no_ , he _didn't_ love Hermione, and _no_ , she _didn't_ love him back.

He vaguely recalled a time when Hermione had read to him a book about _250 Things You Musn't Do To Receive The Dementor's Kiss_ , and he was pretty sure that replacing a memory with a false one was definitely at least number thirty-eight.

But he did it anyway; he had to.

He brought up his wand, and conjured a simple spell. Hermione's voice echoed in not only the Fred he was jinxing's ears, but he himself. He couldn't quite make out the conversation they seemed to be having in this new world, but he could pick out the words, "bookworm", and "conceited".

* * *

Fred had managed to distract George with Angelina, and he'd found a way to escape to the library, at six, to complete alleged Herbology homework.

He'd spent a lot of time thinking. There were many things he wouldn't regret in life, like all the kisses he'd shared with Hermione, like all the pranks he'd pulled with George. There were many things he wouldn't get again, either, like another kiss with Hermione, or another "I love you".

If he hadn't told her—if he'd just kept his stupid little mouth _shut_ , thought all packed away and hidden in his stupid little head, none of this would have happened. Yes, he didn't regret one moment spent with her, and yet he did, because _it was not supposed to end like this_.

After this, inevitably, he would die. There were some things even the most lenient of Fate's demands could not be changed. Fate didn't work like that. (Nothing really works—not anymore.)

Hermione would cry, maybe even just feel some unforeseen numbness, like he'd felt for Luna, and all the others who'd died, but he'd not known so well—she'd cry, but she'd get over it. She would get over it, and pick herself up, and _move on_ , because yes, Fred certainly did mean something to her, he was her _friend_ , but either way, she'd _get over it_.

He looked over his life.

Fred was just Fred, and Hermione was Hermione, and much, much more. She deserved much, much more.

* * *

 _Fred was flying. Through the clouds, the lights, past the sun, tumbling through the leaves. He was flying, and then suddenly, he was falling_

 _down_

 _down_

 _down._

* * *

"Hey," Hermione's cheerful giggle filled the place.

"H-hi," he stammered. "Sorry."

"So... homework?" she asked.

Fred looked straight at her, and _tried_ to speak. _I love you, I love you so much, Hermione, and I'm sorry, oh sweet_ Merlin _, am I sorry_.

"Fred?" she laughed (Fred detected some nervousness, or maybe that was just him).

"What?" he replied coolly, in a voice he only hoped had any resemblance to naive, seventeen-year-old Fred. "What?"

"You... asked me to help you with some... assignment?"

He swallowed, and choked on the truth, all the lies settling in, like they always did. "So you came," he laughed, convinced that she was unconvinced by his utterly convincing way to be so damn _unconvincing_. "You came... You—you _believed_ me. Oh, Merlin, isn't that _gold_. Just you wait 'til George hears about this!"

"What's so funny?" She seemed irritated, if a little... hurt? He didn't know. (He didn't know much then, and didn't now.)

"You came here thinking," He paused, letting out another (fake) laugh. "You came here thinking that... oh god... You came here _thinking_ —you came here... You think I'd _actually_."

"Fred." One word. One name. One voice. (One lifeline.)

"You're a bookworm, I'm a Fred. It doesn't work out. Sorry, Princess."

 _I'm sorry, I_ really _am_ — _I need you to trust me, Mia, that this, it_ has _to happ_ —

"I'm a bookworm," she nodded bitterly. "And you're Fred. You're the same conceited, arrogant Fred you always are." She took a pause, one that seemed deafening, for her words only echoed in his mind on repeat, a constant loop; a constant reminder. "And you're words? They—they don't affect me."

Fred looked at her, but didn't answer. His words were gone. Just gone. Hermione looked in between confused, and angry, and a hundred more undistinguishable, but above all, Fred knew what he'd done. He'd hurt her. And even if it was for the _best_ , just... just _seeing_ her like that made him want to scream, and stop, and tell her the _truth_.

And so she left, and Fred was left, alone, drowning in his guilt, his regrets, everything that had led them right into this situation.

(Some things are just better off that way. Packed away, hidden. Unspoken.)

* * *

 _He was still falling_

 _down_

 _down_

 _down._

 _He could barely breathe, and yet the air was so... so... overwhelming. Powerful._

 _He could see every crack, every fallen rock, and yet he was still moving; still falling_

 _down_

 _down_

 _down._

* * *

 **This story is over. It's over. And it's a bit hard to wrap my head around, you know? Aside from Writer's Block, and rather delayed updates, I've become really attached to this story** — **I'm definitely going to edit all of this, sooner or later. Above all, I'd like to thank** _ **GardenOfSnow**_ **and her Fremione video, which gave me the inspiration to write this. Thank you :) (And also the hundreds and hundreds of suggestions for each chapter.) :)**

 **Thank you all, too! I hope you enjoyed** _ **caught in a landslide**_ **!**


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